Family Secrets
by She With A Writer's Soul
Summary: A sergeant is kidnapped and the clock is ticking. Gibbs and the team are left in the dark, and the only one who knows anything, isn't telling. [preHIATUS]
1. Rainy Day

A new story, one that I hope to finish. This is my first NCIS fanfic so please be nice, and to everyone wondering about the sequel to Popularity Kills, I'll start writing it as soon as some inspiration hits me. It usually does in the shower, so I'll be abnormally clean from now on. Anyway, I have to go camping tomorrow and I'll be away for the weekend, so you can expect another chapter no earlier than Sunday. Please review and thanks for reading.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters that have appeared on NCIS. It's kinda depressing actually.

"Gabby, will you marry me?" The proposal, popping the question, putting on the wedding shackle. It can be your happiest moment and worst fear at the same time. Yet, as age old tradition dictates, it's supposed to be the most romantic time of your life. However, tradition was thwarted once again as the man asking the big question burst into a fit of giggles and took another swing from the beer he was carrying.

"Don't ask me that now, Greg, you're drunk!" Said 'Gabby', the woman hobbling next to him on the shoulder of the dirt road. She soon joined in his laughter, and both failed to hear the squeaking of tires and the crunching of gravel behind them.

As if on cue, a black car raced past them on the unpaved road and stopped suddenly before the drunken couple. A cloud of dust stung the eyes as three men dressed in black emerged from the vehicle.

"Hey dudes, what the fuck do you think you're doing?" Demanded Greg, outraged as the three men approached, two of them going towards Gabby.

"Greg!" She called out, struggling violently against the two men who grabbed her. She managed a few good punches and kicks before a white cloth was forced over her mouth. She struggled a bit more before her eyes rolled back and her body became limp.

Greg wanted to run to her, he tried, but a sharp pain spread through his body and he was thrown to the ground. The drunken haze slowly lifted from his mind as he sobered up, now he could feel the pain. The third man, until now forgotten, stood above him holding a baseball bat. A deadly weapon, Greg thought, as it came down on him again and again.

He barely noticed that his girlfriend was being thrown into the black car, until finally the beating stop. The black clad man lowered his face to Greg's and spoke quietly into his ear.

"Listen carefully." Came the ragged voice. " The agency that's going to investigate Sergeant Ballot's kidnapping is called NCIS. And the only reason you're still alive is that I need you to give them a little message. Her ransom is small, just a little bit of information I want that she won't give me. And the only other person that knows is her bastard sister, tell them that and I'll be in touch."

With a last swift kick in the gut, the man turned and walked back to the car. They drove away, leaving another cloud of dust in their wake. Slowly, Greg started to move, testing out each limb to see if it was broken. There was definitely something wrong with his ribs, he soon discovered this after nearly passing out from the pain. He moved even more slowly, as his fingers found the cell phone in his jacket pocket. He sighed with relief and dialled three numbers.

"911, what's your emergency?"

The elevator doors opened with a ding, but that was usual.

What was a bit unusual was that the two people who stepped out, Tony and Ziva, were soaked. Literally. It was a regular hurricane outside, rain pounded on the windows and thunder and lightning reigned outside.

" I was in the rain for two minutes before I got into my car!" Complained Tony, passing a hand through his wet hair. " This storm has _The Day After Tomorrow_ written all over it."

Ziva sent him a weird look, but agreed anyway as they both walked towards their desks.

" Indeed, it's raining cats and curs outside." She smiled; certain she got it right this time.

"Umm…actually I think it's 'cats and dogs', Ziva." Said McGee, who was already sitting at his desk. Ziva gave him a sour look before throwing down her equally wet bag and starting up her computer. Tony just stood in front McGee, making him more and more uncomfortable as seconds ticked past.

"Tony?" He inquired finally, as the tension in the room was too much.

"Probie, why aren't you wet?" Tony asked finally, moving towards his desk. A small squeak sounded from his shoes and he grimaced. They were worth more than the rest of his clothes put together.

"Well, I used an umbrella."

Both Tony and Ziva froze in their seats and looked over at each other. This day was starting out very badly. Tony narrowed his eyes and spoke in an ominous voice.

"We never speak of this again."

McGee nodded and they worked in silence for a moment before Gibbs came strolling in with the familiar coffee in hand. He was, unsurprisingly, completely dry. Everyone was wondering if he had even gone home the night before.

'We have a kidnapping." Said Gibbs shortly, slamming down the empty coffee cup onto his desk. " Sergeant Gabrielle Ballot was taken last night at 03:00, while walking home with her boyfriend, Greg Mathers. Mathers is in the hospital being treated for broken ribs and a concussion. DiNozzo, McGee; they were last seen at the Scratch bar. Ziva, you're with me."

"But boss!" Yelled Tony, who was on his feet like everyone else, grabbing at his or her stuff. " Have you looked outside today? Plus McGee forgot his umbrella…"

"Hey, I'm not the one who forgot an umbrella…"

_Smack._

Tony grumbled as Gibbs's open hand came in contact with his head. But it put an end to the discussion and left McGee and Ziva grinning triumphantly.

"You two, take the stairs!" Gibbs barked, giving them all the evil eye. "Ziva, you've got twenty seconds before I leave without you." Then he was gone with the rest of the team following in his wake.

Ziva made sure they took the stairs.

All right, I hope you liked it. Things will probably speed up next chapter, but I'm not sure how long I want to make this story. Please review, because I cherish each one very much!

Katie…out!


	2. I Took The Stairs

Well I got this up earlier than first expected, it was a bit hard to start it off, and so that's why the beginning is a bit awkward. I hope it gets better towards the end though. I'm going into the real plot more in this chapter, so please review and tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters that have appeared on NCIS. It's kinda depressing actually.

* * *

Ziva didn't like hospitals, and she could tell that Gibbs didn't either by the harsh way he spoke to the secretary. They had made it to the hospital in record time, swerving past people who seemed unable to drive properly because of the weather. The streets were nearly flooded with water, and her ears were ringing from the sound of people beeping at them. In all, she was glad to get out of the car.

Plus, she had even learned Gibbs's secret for keeping dry. He had a very big umbrella.

"NCIS," growled Gibbs to the secretary. Her chirpy façade dropped when she heard the tone of his voice. "We're here to see Greg Mathers."

She called a nurse over to show them to the room. They went down white hall after white hall, all looking pretty much the same. Then they took the elevator to the third floor, and came across the room where their only witness lay.

But he was already reporting what had happened to someone else. Or so it seemed, as Greg Mathers spoke animatedly to the only person sitting in the room. It wasn't another Cop, or a Fed. It was a girl, in a school uniform who was clinging to every word. Neither of them noticed anyone enter until Gibbs cleared his throat and spoke.

"I'm Special Agent Gibbs from NCIS, and this is officer David. We're going to have to ask you some questions pertaining to the kidnapping of Gabrielle Ballot."

Greg nodded very quickly, eyes wide as he stared at the badge Gibbs offered him. " Of course, I knew you were coming. Well…errrrr, he told me that is. I mean…oh, this is Gabby's sister."

Everyone was silent for a moment, trying to piece together what he had just stuttered out. Once they had, the girl gave a polite nod and smile. In Ziva's opinion, she looked way too small. Not skinny really, but just small boned and delicate, like a porcelain doll or some sort of…puppy. Her legs didn't reach the ground, and the pale white skin didn't help either.

"Mr. Mathers, we're going to need your full account of the events that happened last night." Said Gibbs, sending glances in the girl's direction. It was painfully obvious that he didn't want her hearing what had happened that night. He looked meaningfully at the witness, who was still extremely excited in his bed.

"Of course, Agent Gibbs." He said slowly, finally catching on. " But Aidan should stay here, this concerns her as well." Looking mildly surprised, Aidan just crossed her legs and sent Gibbs a look that gave his death glare a run for its money. Gibbs just nodded and Ziva was questioning who really controlled the situation from behind him.

"Yesterday, Gabby came home for her shore leave. To celebrate, we went to a bar near our house, we stayed for a couple hours, had way too much to drink. Which is why instead of driving we decided to walk home, since it's only about ten minutes on foot. The road was deserted, and about halfway home these crazy bastards drove up in this black car and attacked us. Two of them knocked Gabby out with some chloroform and the third guy came after me with the baseball bat." He smiled grimy and indicated his injuries. Which ranged from a bandaged head to some sort of caste on his stomach. "When he was done, I was in pretty bad shape. They threw Gabby into the car and then he gave me a message…I guess it was a ransom of sorts. He wants some information, but Gabby won't give it to him, and the only other person that knows is Aidan here. Then he said he'd be in touch."

There was silence in the room; all eyes were turned to Aidan, who seemed to grow even smaller under everyone's gaze. Emotions flicked across her face while she played with the gold crucifix around her neck.

"I…have no idea what he was talking about." She said finally, the last part of the sentence was said with confidence, but there were speculative looks around the room.

"Please Aidan." Said Greg, looking pitiful in his hospital gown with bruises and cuts everywhere. " I have no idea what those guys have done to Gabby, we have to find her fast and the only way is for you to tell us what you know."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow, what happened to the stuttering guy that was just here a second ago?

"I'm serious Greg, I have no idea what that man was talking about." Repeated Aidan, looking defiant and resisting the puppy eyes he was giving her. "Excuse me." She said, getting up from the bedside chair and heading to the door. Ziva stood in her way, looking towards Gibbs and trying to ignore the evil eye she was getting. Standing, the girl looked just as short, maybe around 4'9".

"Ms Ballot, you're going to need to come to NCIS with us to answer a few questions." Said Gibbs. The girl spun around and faced him angrily.

"It's Aidan King, I'm only Gabrielle's stepsister. And I'm sure that my very unnecessary visit to NCIS headquarters can wait until I've gone to the bathroom!" She glared angrily around the room and pushed past Ziva, who thought she was a lot stronger than she looked.

* * *

Aidan stomped down the hall angrily, but as fast as her feet could take her. This was bad, she though, very bad. First Gabby was kidnapped, and now NCIS was after her for something she couldn't tell them. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but the secret was something her sister would willingly die for.

With a quick check behind her shoulder, she was content that no one was following her. Especially that pesky female agent who had been giving off bad vibes since she entered the room. Once more she checked, and then walked straight past the girl's bathroom. She turned down an empty hallway and pressed the elevator button to go down. An excruciating twenty seconds later, the elevator doors opened and she nearly ran inside. Leaning on the close button, she only relaxed when the metals doors closed and the elevator started to move.

Someone really should spray some air freshener in here, she thought. Tugging nervously at her uniform and trying to get the wrinkles out. She knew she looked pretty weird walking around here in that, especially since it was the middle of a school day.

The elevator doors opened with a ding and she hurried out…straight into a wall with arms. Looking up she recognized the female agent from the room, Officer _David_.

"I took the stairs." Ziva said cockily. Grabbing Aidan above the elbow and pulling her towards the hospital's exit.

"Lemme go!" Aidan said, trying to wiggle away furiously. But she really wasn't a match for Ziva's strength, and the fact that she was increasing her grip on her arm. "Or else I'll scream and call hospital security over, I'm a Catholic schoolgirl for God's sake! Then your boss will really pissed at you."

Ziva's only response was to grip her arm painfully and tug her towards the door. "I think my boss will be a lot more _pissed_ at you."

* * *

So, chapter 2 done. I'll try to get the next one up faster than this one. Please, please, please review. I'm hoping for three, but that's up to you guys! 


	3. Never Said That

Hey everyone, haven't updated in quite a long time. Hopefully I'll be able to more often, though the school year is about to start and that just sucks. I'm even going to buy school supplies soon. Urg.

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters that have appeared on NCIS. It's kinda sad actually.

* * *

"Well that was a complete and utter waste of time." Tony muttered under his breath. Both he and McGee stepped out of the elevator for the second time that day. Tony was relatively dry, while McGee on the other hand was soaked to the bone. Apparently McGee's umbrella was only big enough for one person, and since Tony was senior field agent…

"Nothing I tell you to do is useless, DiNozzo. And where the hell have you been McGee? I need you to do that thing on the computer." Growled Gibbs from his desk, not actually on his computer but chugging down the second coffee of the day. Something told him he'd need it, especially with that Aidan King whom he'd locked up with Ziva in interrogation.

"Sorry Boss." Said McGee almost automatically. You kind of got used to the verbal abuse while working with Gibbs. He grimaced while sitting down at his computer chair, it would be wet for at least 48 hours after this. Stupid absorbing material.

"What did you want me to look up, Boss?"

"Someone named Aidan King." Said Gibbs, now focusing his attention on Tony who was reclining in his chair. "DiNozzo, report!"

Tony's eyes widened and he sat up straight in his chair. "Yes, boss. We visited the Scratch bar where we talked to the bartender, he said he saw a bunch of couples that night but he remembered them because of the tequila shots that they kept ordering. Apparently they both know how to throw 'em back, if you know what I mean. Anyway, he remembers them leaving at around 03:00, maybe earlier. We walked along the road for a bit, but any tire tracks would have been washed away by this rain. And all we found by the road were empty beer bottles."

Gibbs nodded, so far Greg Mathers' story was holding up. Which wasn't a good thing, since now they had basically no suspects, and their one lead wasn't saying anything useful. Of course, her quality time with Ziva might convince her to open up just a bit.

"Boss, I got a hit on this Aidan King. No arrests or anything, but there was a suspected suicide attempt when she was hospitalized for overdosing on sleeping pills. It was ruled as accidental, she claimed she was just trying to sleep." McGee said quickly, staring at the computer screen. "Who is this girl?"

Gibbs sighed inwardly and shortly brought them up to speed on the case. It wasn't something he usually did, but hey, he had just made them go walking along side a road during something like a tsunami. Not that he didn't get a bit of satisfaction out of it. "She says that she doesn't know anything about it. I doubt it."

Tony and McGee were silent for a moment. "So that's why you put her into a locked room with Ziva?" Tony asked, confused. To him that seemed like cruel and unusual punishment, especially to a minor. Of course, Ziva couldn't be that evil…could she?

"Well if you're so concerned, Tony, get then your asses moving and head down to interrogation!" Gibbs growled, suddenly aware that his coffee was finished. He stood up quickly, throwing the coffee cup into the garbage, and headed towards the elevator.

Tony and McGee followed quickly, they didn't want to take the stairs again.

* * *

Well, this is an unwelcome change of scenery. Thought Aidan glumly, bored eyes looking around the interrogation room. Really, the name suggests something it's not. Grey walls, a couple of chairs, a table…and a light bulb? Wow. She absently rubbed her sore arm, the cause of which was sitting right in front of her. Officer David, whom she currently hated and would not stop staring at her. She winced inwardly as she hit a tender spot on her arm. Yep, that would definitely be a bruise.

"I'm sorry." Aidan's eyes looked up in surprise. Ziva was pointedly looking at her arm, on closer inspection she hadn't realized the angry red mark that had formed, along with what would soon be a bruise.

"It's fine, I bruise really easily." Said Aidan hesitantly, but really she was just confused by this whole situation. She absently tugged the sleeve of her polo shirt down while playing with the gold crucifix around her neck.

The silence that had developed in the room was broken when Gibbs came striding in, dismissing Ziva with a nod. She stood and exited the room with one final glance at Aidan, who was sitting there uncomfortably. Of course, she was hoping that didn't show on her face.

Gibbs sat down, slowly. He opened a file, slowly. Frankly, Aidan wanted to lean over and punch him in the nose. But she figured he got that a lot.

"Agent Gibbs," She said impatiently. "Do you think we can get on with this? I need to get back to school." She leaned forward onto the table, balancing her head in a hand. His icy blue eyes met her green ones.

"You have no idea what the kidnapper was talking about?"

"None at all."

"And you have no idea who could have kidnapped your sister?"

There was silence in the room, as Aidan suddenly became very interested in the rings on her fingers. "Well, I never said _that_." She mumbled grudgingly, the three spectators in the next room all turned to the computer, where they would search anyone she mentioned.

"Ms King…"

"Aidan."

"Aidan. Do you know who kidnapped your sister?"

There was another moment of silence before she started talking again. " When I was five, my father died of lung cancer. My mother was devastated, never went on a date until I was eleven. When she did, she met Gabby's father. Isaac Ballot, whose wife had also passed away. A couple years ago my mom died in a car accident, and he was named my legal guardian." She snorted, clearly in contempt of the man. "Needless to say, after the death of two wives, he got a little wacked out. You know, three fries short of a Happy Meal? Gabby moved out with me when she turned 21. But I'd pay good money her father never got over it."

* * *

So that took a while right? Sorry about that, but I just wasn't inspired that much. My muse is on vacation or something. Review and I'll try to go faster! 


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